Hi BB76,I've been training in Japanese shootfighting now for about 4 months and I am beginning to see an improvement (small, but still, an improvement). The one thing I have encountered is that, not only do you have to be aware of where your body is, but also, where your opponent's body is too. You have to move BOTH bodies with skill (or try to in my case, lol). One of the most accomplished grapplers in my dojo tends to grapple with his eyes closed, in order to be able to make more sense of sensory input of what his body is telling him.Hang in there, kell

hey man,i feel your pain, i have been training in bjj for 8 months and i have yet to master anything but the art of tapping. it can be discouraging but its all part of the learning process. my advice to you is **** it up, and keep a positive attitude, you are learning more than you think.

Same feeling as the rest. I also have a very bad back (will be 40 next year). I would also ask the people you grapple with to go a little slow, let them show you how their weight shifts when they are on top. Ask how they were able to creat the opening for their move---what kind of lock did they get you in, and what did you do to allow them in. Even though I have no rank in BJJ, I was able to tap a shodan in Judo at a Karate class(he was also a karate BB from another style and swept me where we went to the ground)---I under estimated the guy. But after 10 minutes (too much time, not good for real fighting) I did put him in a Kimura. Have to admit it did feel good.--Best regards!

I have a purple belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu and have been studying it for 5 years now. I have been doing martial arts for 10 years. I am currently training at the Renzo Gracie academy in NYC and LOVE it! I feel just like a white belt again. :-)

Your just not used to being on the ground. This is exactly why Gracie took 3 UFC titles away from several other larger stronger martial artists of varied styles.

It wont come easy, but after 6 months of training when you go to roll with a brand new student you will handle them as if they were a child.

The ground is much more technical since there are so many moves with new ones being developed each day. Its not like striking where there are only a few types of punches and a few types of kicks. After 5 years I am still blown away by news moves coming out of Brazil.

One thing that will help you learn better is to write the techniques down in a grappling journal. If u cant draw very well u can add stick figures to illustrate the technique like I do. There is no way to remember it all so a JJ journal is a great thing to have. My journal has over 200 techniques in it now and is still growing every day.

Stick with it and forget that u ever had a black belt to begin with. I've got 3 Black Belts at home myself and they are worth @#%.

"The belt is just 2 inches of fabric covering your ass. The rest is up to you to protect."

its not real fighting. Maybe more like a bar brawl where a wrestler pins you against the wall or something, but still far from real. Bjj still has plenty of rules. Infact more rules than most martial arts due to the ability to really hurt yourself and others while doing it. Its as flawed as other arts in real life situations due to these rules so dont fool yourself.

Like many people, you assume that BJJ is all or mostly fighting from your back. This is not accurate. The reason you often see this in tournaments or rolling is that sometimes you opponent is big, strong or skilled enough to put you on your back, regardless of what you want.

BJJ training factors this in. It does not encourage people to pull guard on the street. But neither does it advocate ignoring the ground problem in favor of more standup training.

The analogy about the "real fighting" has to do with most MA students lack of training in Extreme Close Quarters with any form of resistance. In that respect, BJJ exposes people to a dynamic that blends competitive grappling with practical fighting skills. It does this in a way that is closer to real fighting than most MAs.

Remember that there are three main divisions of BJJ training:

Sport (gi and no gi)

Self Defense

Vale Tudo/ NHB

Every school that I know of addresses these. Many focus more on Sport because their students just want to improve their skills in a controlled environment. Others favor Vale Tudo because their students want that kind of challenge. Fewer focus on pure SD just because the essence of BJJ is alive and is best expressed in sparring rather than rehearsed demos.

This is not meant to start an argument but your points echo from many before who tend to over simplify BJJ.